Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I have a bit of a quandary. I’ve read the first five Garrett PI novels from Glen Cook and thought they were collectively fantastic. I want to read the sixth volume Red Iron Nights. My library doesn’t have it. My library’s interlibrary loan can’t find it at another library in Minnesota.

I’ve checked Uncle Hugos, and suppose I’ll have to continue to do so, but I’m stuck. Even though the novels are all self contained, they reference events and characters from the previous novels.

I can get the tenth volume (Angry Lead Skies) through the library, so there’s only four that I’m going to be short on.

I could buy them, except they seem to be out of print. Volumes 6 and 7 are on the pricey side, while 8 and 9 are available used on Amazon for $3 + shipping (which amounts to buying a new paperback, if there was a new paperback)

The problem is, I don’t really *want* to buy these books. If they’re available at Uncle Hugos I’d pick them up because I wouldn’t pay any more than $3 for any individual volume and there would be no shipping (and I’d just sell them back for a buck later), but $6 or more? I don’t want to build a Garrett collection.

So what the hell do I do? Do I just skip ahead to Angry Lead Skies and read the missing four when I get the chance? I wouldn’t miss *too* much, but I like to keep series in order, and like I said, Cook is very referential so that readers who have been following the series gets just a touch more out of the books than those who just picked up the book cold.

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comments:

Petty pewter gods and faded steel heat had new printings. I ordered them from amazon and I've already received petty pewter gods, which was new, back in august. I got notification last week that my faded steel heat had also shipped.

Personally I'm stuck in a similar position. Except I want to build a collection of the novels. Once I get Faded Steel Heat in I'll only be missing three books in the series: Deadly Quicksilver Lies, Angry Lead Skies and Red Iron Nights.

I would say, skip ahead the series and keep checking the secondhand stores eevery now and then to see if you luck out.

Joe, as indicated above, Petty Pewter Gods and Faded Steel Heat are back in print, the latter as of just a week ago. I have no idea why Roc skipped over Red Iron Nights and Deadly Quicksilver Lies.

I have a complete set of the Garrett series, so I could loan you my copies of Red Iron Nights and Deadly Quicksilver Lies, if you'd like. The first is somewhat important to the rest of the series, as right at the start it introduces Belinda Contague, Chodo's daughter.